The Raw Timelapse Tutorial Series

Like most things, mastering timelapse photography requires practice. While there is no formula for a great shot, there is a lot that you can do to maximize your chances for success. The following videos are part of an extensive raw timelapse tutorial to provide some useful tools for shooting timelapses.

Introduction

Landscape, time of day, composition and many other factors play into the final shots that you decide to use for your timelapse videos. In this video, Preston sets the stage for the tutorial series and introduces many of the shots that you can achieve using these techniques.

Gear

Before you get started,  there are some key pieces of gear & tools you will need. The video below covers some of the equipment that you can use and breaks down everything you need for triggering and powering your camera, cleaning your lens, supporting your camera and other useful tips for various situations.

For an even more extensive breakdown of all the gear and accessories you need for shooting a timelapse check out this article.

Story, Scheduling and Scouting

Pre-production is one of the most crucial parts of the process and being prepared can help you be more efficient and make everything go smoother. This video breaks down the different ways you can use timelapse to tell a visual story, explains the importance of shot lists and gives some useful tips for scouting locations and scheduling a shoot.

For a closer look at everything you just saw and even more useful tips check out this article.

Production

One of the most challenging things to overcome when first learning how to shoot a timelapse is understanding the basic functions of your DSLR. Once you have mastered the basic functions you will want to figure out the best settings for shooting a static timelapse. This article has some very useful information about the proper aperture, shutter speed and interval delay to use and provides some questions you should ask yourself before you begin shooting.

Once you have the static timelapse down you can start advancing your skills and begin shooting motion controlled timelapses. Having motorized control is just another tool to help tell your story. After that you can begin experimenting with different shots and practice day-to-night (aka Holy Grail) timelapses. The video below addresses three of the different ways you can go about shooting a day to night timelapse by using aperture priority, blending in post, and ramping up exposure/ISO.

There is no better way to learn how to get incredible shots other than practice, practice, practice. These videos are a great resource for anyone looking to learn how to hone their skills in timelapse photography. We have certainly found them to be very helpful and we hope that you will be able to take something away from them too.

If you are looking for more, check out some of our courses for hands-on experiences with an instructor.